INVENTOR of the MONTH

George E. Carruthers: Astrophysicist

George Carruthers (pictured on the right-hand side) was born on October 1, 1939, in Cincinnati and grew up on Chicago’s South Side. As boy, he was an avid reader of science books, both fiction and non fiction, and enjoyed constructing model rockets. Carruthers built a crude telescope when he was 10 years old.

Carruthers received a bachelor’s degree with honors in aeronautical engineering in 1961 from the University of Illinois. He also earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering (1962) and a Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering (1964) from the university.

After graduate school, Carruthers worked as a research physicist for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. In 1969 he received a patent for an image converter that detects electromagnetic radiation. In 1970 he made the first examination of molecular hydrogen in space. Leading a team of scientists, he invented the first moon-based observatory, the far ultraviolet camera/spectrograph, for Apollo 16. The camera recorded nearly two hundred ultraviolet light pictures including views of newly discovered stars and nebulae. It also took pictures of the Earth’s ionosphere.

In addition to many scientific achievements and professional organization memberships, Carruthers helped create the Science & Engineers Apprentice program which enables high school students to work with Naval Research Laboratory scientists during the summer. He also participated in the development of a videotape series on earth and space science for high school students. Since 2002, Carruthers has taught a course at Howard University sponsored by a NASA Aerospace Workforce Development grant.

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